Stephens Inc. AR Has $560,000 Position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited $BABA

Stephens Inc. AR cut its position in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) by 53.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,460 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 5,111 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Alibaba Group were worth $560,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in Alibaba Group by 7,680.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 6,014,147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $881,554,000 after buying an additional 5,936,847 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Alibaba Group in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $594,477,000. Coatue Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Alibaba Group by 130.1% during the third quarter. Coatue Management LLC now owns 1,996,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $356,851,000 after acquiring an additional 1,128,826 shares during the last quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the fourth quarter valued at $160,410,000. Finally, Altimeter Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Alibaba Group during the third quarter worth $173,207,000. 13.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Alibaba Group Trading Up 1.0%

NYSE BABA traded up $1.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $112.30. 16,134,359 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,386,106. Alibaba Group Holding Limited has a one year low of $91.99 and a one year high of $192.67. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $118.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $136.48. The stock has a market cap of $269.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.28.

Alibaba Group (NYSE:BABA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The specialty retailer reported $0.01 EPS for the quarter. Alibaba Group had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 4.76%. The business had revenue of $35.30 billion for the quarter. On average, analysts anticipate that Alibaba Group Holding Limited will post 6.28 EPS for the current year.

Alibaba Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced an annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 11th will be given a dividend of $1.05 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 93.0%. Alibaba Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 16.91%.

Insider Activity at Alibaba Group

In related news, CFO Hong Xu sold 175,054 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.15, for a total transaction of $2,126,906.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 280,496 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,408,026.40. This trade represents a 38.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, President J. Michael Evans sold 720,000 shares of Alibaba Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $94.95, for a total value of $68,364,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 28,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,658,600. The trade was a 96.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 920,303 shares of company stock worth $70,796,370 over the last quarter. 12.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

More Alibaba Group News

Here are the key news stories impacting Alibaba Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba shares rallied after reports highlighted improving optimism around its AI and cloud businesses, including commentary that AI-driven revenue could support earnings and a re-rating of the stock. Alibaba shares jump on AI cloud market
• Positive Sentiment: News that China may allow selected firms, including Alibaba, to access Nvidia’s H200 chips could support Alibaba’s AI development and cloud infrastructure plans. Related China AI chip access report
• Positive Sentiment: Alibaba also received a temporary U.S. legal reprieve from certain Pentagon-linked lobbying restrictions, easing one source of regulatory pressure in the near term. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Neutral Sentiment: The company is updating internal AI policies in response to China’s tightening AI rules, including changes to its Qwen platform and restrictions on some third-party tools, which mainly signals compliance rather than an immediate financial impact. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Alibaba agreed to a $600 million non-prosecution settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over historic illegal pharmaceutical sales, adding a meaningful legal overhang and potential reputational drag. Alibaba settles DOJ case as AI rules tighten
• Negative Sentiment: Investor-rights and securities-fraud law firms announced investigations into Alibaba, which can weigh on sentiment even if no wrongdoing has been proven. Howard G. Smith securities fraud investigation

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on BABA shares. Nomura reduced their price objective on shares of Alibaba Group from $207.00 to $178.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 25th. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on Alibaba Group in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $209.00 target price for the company. Argus raised Alibaba Group to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Alibaba Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Alibaba Group from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.90.

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a Chinese multinational conglomerate founded in 1999 in Hangzhou, China, by Jack Ma and a group of co‑founders. The company built its business around internet-based commerce and related services and has grown into one of the largest e-commerce and technology companies in the world. Alibaba completed a high‑profile initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014.

The company operates a portfolio of online marketplaces and platforms serving different customer segments: Alibaba.com for global and domestic B2B trade, Taobao for consumer-to-consumer shopping, and Tmall for brand and retailer storefronts targeted at Chinese consumers.